Locals overbid by more than internationals when buying Dutch home

Internationals in the Netherlands might be more likely to overbid on a house than locals, but they don’t overbid by as much, a study has revealed. 

Internationals make well-informed bids for Dutch housing

As many house hunters will know, overbidding is very common in the Netherlands. In fact, more than 60 percent of houses were sold above the asking price in 2024. Therefore, it is no surprise that in a survey by Viisi, 77 percent of foreign buyers in the Netherlands said they bid more than the asking price when trying to buy a house. 

Dutch citizens overbid often as well, but at a less frequent rate of 70 percent. While internationals bid above the asking price more often, the amount they overbid by is more likely to be lower. Expats offer an average of 7,6 percent over the asking price, while Dutch buyers overbid by 9,3 percent.

The time it takes for internationals to have an offer on a house accepted is also shorter than for locals - five months compared to seven, respectively. According to Viisi, this is because expats are more likely to use a buyer’s agent, who manages communication with the seller and has insight into a property's market value, so they can recommend a reasonable bid. 

Many foreign buyers plan on staying in the Netherlands

52 percent of internationals participating in the survey said they plan on staying in the Netherlands for longer than 20 years and 70 percent want to stay for at least 10 years, disproving the idea that expats just come to the country for a tax break before moving on to another country. 

Foreign buyers bid on more properties than Dutch citizens before finding success - three compared to 2,3. “It appears that expats are slightly more decisive than Dutch home seekers,” said Viisi specialist Andrew Aziz. “And rightly so, because unlike Dutch buyers, they often cannot rely on family and generally pay a higher monthly rent. However, the lower overbidding amount shows that they are not blindly going all-in, but rather making a well-considered choice and ensuring they are well-informed in the process.”

Bidding abuse reporting centre reopened

With so much overbidding taking place, cases of exploitation are increasing. The Association of Homeowners (VEH) recently reopened a reporting centre for bidding abuse, reports AD. Five years ago, the reporting centre was available before a mandatory bidding log was introduced in 2023.

However, VEH believes that these “attempts at self-regulation in the sector are proving insufficient”. The reintroduction of the reporting point will allow VEH to gather evidence of this to support the call for the government to do more to protect homebuyers relative to real estate agents.

Residents can report cases where real estate agents are abusing the bidding process, for example, by exchanging information on bids with other agents to get competing buyers into bidding wars. To achieve better regulation, VEH wants “minimum requirements for the bidding process to become legally mandatory, along with the prescription of certified bidding software and the organisation of independent supervision with sanctions".